Media Studies Magazine Evaluation

MEDIA STUDIES MAGAZINE

EVALUATIONGrace Winspear

EVALUATION OF FRONT COVER

My Music Magazine; Aristocracy Music develops and challengers many music magazine conventions.The whole of the magazine has a colour scheme of navy blue light pink, gold, and white.The front cover is the buying product, which catches the reader’s eye by offering a range of points of interest and images to help target the audience. In this case I have used and created new magazine convention to target the higher class of society. As I have said in my introduction; I want to fill the niche in the market; by creating a magazine for the higher class of society to prove that magazines are not 'useless' and 'fictional'.

The point to prove….

WHO IS MY TARGET AUDIENCE?HOW WOULD I ATTRACT THEM TO AM?How would AM magazine attract the target audience?Higher class people read about political issues and value their patriotic

values. In this case the magazine targets the British; so by adding articles on British music and artists, British fashion and articles interviewing the aristocratic such as the upcoming music artist Georgiana Wilds and the Princes of England; William & Harry help create interest for the higher class who spend their time reading the Guardian newspaper and help change their view of magazines from seeing them as useless information to a product of information.

The Preppy higher class society care for true talent; so Preppy most listen to something unique, and mostly indie bands, who build their careers themselves and produce music from physical instruments such as guitars, basses, drums played by talented musicians.

By advertising the best of British music bands and artists who incorporate the indie style with a few famous exceptions who have made a huge mark on the music industry over the decades; for example: Coldplay and The Beatles; while adding current artists who are unique and are inspirational musically such as: Florence & the Machine with the addition of upcoming bands; help create a diverse audience of music attracting more than one target audience.

At the first few stages I realised I did not have enough information and gaps in the layout so I decided to add more articles and change the main image for a greater impact.

I changed the image to a more dramatic look by increasing the contrast and brightness to create a more interesting image.I realised that the music artist Florence was dominating and looked to be the second lead which was meant to be the Debutant Ball also advertised so I decided to get rid of the image of Florence; take the JW A&F battle of fashion downwards with the other articles and changing the font so it will stand out then place more plugs and anchorage in the spare gap for interest to create a fulfilled front cover,.

Gaps needed to be filled with graphic features and plugs

Masthead not effective enough to grasp the audience’s attention

Masthead changed with addition of bow tie still not attention seeking

Graphic Features, images and plugs added to advertise other aspects of AM and its articles

Tagline added to the main image to advertise Georgiana Wilds with the use of swirly text to connote the higher society signifying her importance

Masthead changed to create a old-fashioned Edwardian look in the signature colours grasps the audience’s attention and the addition of the bow tie symbolises the higher class.

Georgiana Wilds image is changed by increasing the brightness to make the image more dramatic

FINALE OF FRONT COVERThis is my final product with a range of font and graphic features for effect to add interest. The main image I believe creates a dramatic interest while the anchorage text advertising the image stands out against the second leads. The masthead looks more interesting with fancy Calligraphic font in the  consistent colour scheme with the addition of the bow helps to connote the higher class of society.I believe the final product of my front cover is successful in targeting the audience and creating the ideology of the higher class of society lifestyle.Masthead & Graphic FeaturesThe masthead AM helps attract attention in a variety of ways. The pink, navy blue and white helps to keep the consistent colour scheme while the swirly Calligraphy creates an authentic old-fashioned wealthy look; the bow tie coloured in navy blue and pink placed over the top highlights the upper class target audience relating to dinner parties with the Aristocracy.To show I am targeting university students and people above the age of 18. I included an image of a Pimms bottle which is a famous alcoholic drink which is classed as a drink to be used by the higher class of society. This drink is popular at Polo games and is classed as refreshing since it is served with ice and lime.I have used a range of plugs such as a gun target to create interest and to relate to a popular preppy sport; pigeon shooting and horses with lacrosse and polo sticks to advertise the sporting activities popular with the ladies and gentry.

PROGRESSION OF CONTENTS PAGE 1) The Contents page I believed looked professional and had a good layout in the first stages of progression

however the graphic feature of the flower with the text 'Do not miss' placed over the guitar spoiled the main image so I decided to make the graphic feature smaller simpler and more dramatic. The headlines of Features showing 'Interviews, Events, Music and Fashion' needed to dominate over the listing of articles so I decided to frame them with a light pink border which will make the text stand out against the navy blue background while continuing the consistent colour scheme.

2) This is my final product of the Contents page with a smaller graphic feature for 'Do not miss' which helps portray the main image clearly by not covering the guitar and creates a impact by drawing in the audiences eye.

The framing of the headlines for each feature section helps them to dominate over the text allowing the information of the articles to be easily read by the audience.

Masthead used and enlarged to dominate the page to give AM Importance and status

You have been cordially invited to creates a formal greeting to the issue of AM; the formal language in swirly writing with a glowing shadow makes it seem precious; to suggest you are privileged to read the magazine.

Editorial giving a formal greeting from the Magazine editor to give a overview of the magazines contents

Graphic Feature used ‘do not miss’ to draw attention to the Georgiana Wilds interview; however it seems to dominate the main image of the artist

Main image of artist with a glowing shadow effect to give the artist importance and status while creating attention.

Features are arranged neatly and is more accessible to the audiences eye;The magazine is split up into sections of interest.

Graphic Feature changed so it is less dominating while attracting attention to the main article advertised.

EVALUATION OF CONTENTS PAGE

The contents page is important for advertising all the contents in the magazine with the clever use of listing and images to create an overall effect.Colour Scheme & Graphic FeaturesIn AM magazine, I created a consistent colour scheme of; navy blue, white light pink, and gold.I added a background colour of navy blue and pink vertical stripes and a navy blue strip to highlight the feature articles.An image of Georgiana Wilds is highlighted with a plug 'Don’t miss' to catch the reader’s eye and to show she is dominating the magazine as the main article of interest.Georgiana WildsBy showing Georgiana in a black dress with an old fashioned sable around the neck with pearls holding an authentic guitar helps create the consistent image of the Preppy indie music scene of the higher class of society.I edged her in a glow outer shadow to catch the eye of the audience and to make it seem she is precious and superior; while also creating an innocent angelic image of a lady.A flash of 'Georgiana Wilds in swirly writing with two pheasants holding the edges of the text box shows the main image has purpose and the artist is something to look out for; since she is part of the higher class.EditorialI added another image of the editor with a message to create a personal link between the audience and the editor to persuade the audience to focus their minds on certain articles.the banner 'you have been cordially invited to' suggests a invitation to a formal occasion like a ball which helps emphasise the superiority of the higher class and to make the audience feel they are witnessing something special with great formality since the writing has a outer glow effect to show this.Sections of ContentsThe features are split into four sections: Interviews, Events, Music and Fashion; to help create easy reading and to show what the magazine is targeting as a product of information.

PROGRESSION OF DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

The first stages of the double spread were very simplistic and did not provide the dramatic impact of the artist going against the society constraints of the higher class and the main image did not dominate the page like I wanted it too. So I wanted to change the image to make it more dominating and to make it the unique selling point and to make the audience see the ideology behind the music artist Georgiana Wilds.

Calligraphy used for masthead of article to connote wealth and higher status.

The use of ‘exclusive’ shows how unique the article is; and how authoritive AM magazine is to get the latest interviews with upcoming musicians

Main image connotes the value and ideology of the higher class but it does not create enough attention. So I changed the image to a more dramatic image.Interview

split into accessible sections

This image I created by cropping and overlaying two image I thought would show the true personality of the artist and show that the artist is at one with nature and looking after the world while showing her wild side with the flowing tousled auburn hair. The black dress and pearls still helps connote the higher class of society the artist belongs to.By adding this image I believed it would create a bigger dramatic impact while helping to connote the true meaning behind the interview.

Background of flowers connotes that the artist is at one of nature while also connoting the idea of English countryside linking to the higher class of society.

Calligraphy handwriting used to connote wealth and high status in the signature colours.

The final stage of the double page spread helps connote the true meaning behind the interview with Georgiana Wilds by showing a contrast between 2 images; one showing her wild side (main image) and a smaller picture used in stage 2 to show that she is stuck in society constraints and has to act proper and prim but she wants to fight and free herself and become free and wild like nature.The text helps frame the images of Georgiana Wilds and the house she lives in currently showing the lifestyle she has which she has worked through the ranks to achieve.The quotes used help show the ecstatic attitude she has with her career showing her true passion for becoming a music artist and shows that she may have a privileged life now, but she had to work through society to gain it, however she is still proud of where she came from originally and proves without her normal background she would not be as strong today.The calligraphic font helps frame the images and shows a consistency in the formal colour scheme created for AM and shows that Georgiana Wilds is part of the authentic higher class of society.

EVALUATION OF DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

The Double spread of the main article is important for transferring the most important information across to the audience; showing the articles importance and why this has been placed on the front page and has been a consistent reminder through the pages of its importance.

Main ImageThe main image is the key advertiser and unique selling point of the page; and the whole magazine.The main image shows the musician lying on a bed of colourful flowers wearing a black dress and pearls;

dosing with hair tossed and wild.I have chosen this image to show the artist is at one with nature and she is a wild thing.The pearls and classic black dress helps connote the superiority of the artist making her seem rich and

wealthy while the fiery auburn hair and dramatic makeup, with her face turned to the side creates a mysterious dangerous image to show that the musician is not as perfect as she is made out; which can seem shocking to the audience since she is going against the constraints of the higher class of society; by letting her hair down and lying on a pile of flowers. The other images used in the magazine to advertise Georgiana Wilds are prim with groomed hair and makeup; which can hint that she is prim and proper; however the double page spread main image goes against the original ideology of the artist showing who she really is to add effect.

The AlbumThe album name 'Prim & Proper' helps highlight the differences she has as part of the higher class of society

showing she is down to earth and you can set yourself free from society constraints and be unique.The article contextThe article is all about Georgiana Wilds receiving her dream life; but also reminding the reader that she may

not of had the richest of upbringings but that is what has kept her grounded and left her not being discriminating and prejudice of the 'lower' class of society.

QuotesThe 2 main quotes 'Performing is my adrenaline' and 'I am proud of my roots' shows her ecstatic attitude

towards her job and shows she loves what she does; while the second quote shows she is proud and happy she has worked her way through the rank and is not ashamed to have a less privileged background.

The whole articles asks questions of how does she feel about the fame, her career and her album; while also asking how she thinks she has managed to survive and gain from the strenuous music industry.

The article also shows her current affairs with charitable giving; which the higher class of society are against which will add interest to the article showing a perspective viewpoint of the matter.

Sub ImagesTwo sub images are used in the article to show her current accommodation now she has made it in the

music industry and entered the higher class; while showing the 'Prim & Proper' image she is trying to create with the audience to show her innocence, her mysterious side and her wealth.

COLOURS & FONTSColoursEach colour has a particular meaning and they are unique colours to be used in a music magazine making it

original:Navy Blue - creates a royal rich image relating to royalty and the higher class of society which Aristocracy Music

(AM) targets.Light Pink - creates a flirtatious girly image to show the magazine goes against the conventions of targeting just

males but it can incorporate the female audience.Gold - creates a wealthy rich image relating to money and superiority which the higher class of society like to

obtain; the colour helps to emphasise certain points of interest to draw in the reader for example the main article advertised on the front page is 'Georgiana Wilds' which is edged in gold to show the upcoming artists' importance; making it seem that the musician would spark interest in the eyes of the readers.

White - is a conventional colour used in music magazines and helps highlight and contrast with other colours to create a simplistic image which helps prove that the magazine can still follow the conventions.

FontsI have used a range of fonts throughout the magazine to add interest and to help follow the conventions of any

other magazine on the market.I have used a range of Calligraphy fonts to create an authentic upper class feel to the magazine advertising that

the magazine is for the people of the higher class.However I have used edgy stencilled fonts to create an edgy look to show that the magazine can include a range

of artists and music scenes which could interest a wider audience; for example the people who are interested in the Indie rock music scene will find the magazine interesting also.

The Preppy (preparatory) group do take interest in the indie rock music scene and the more famous prestigious bands who have been creating music for centuries and have gained bankability over the decades for example; Coldplay and Oasis.

The Preppy group I am trying to target does also take a great interest in splurging money; especially on fashion.So I decided to add a article to the magazine called 'JW, A&F battle of fashion' which are two very famous Preppy

university orientated makes; one American A&F; Abercrombie & Fitch, and Jack Wills a renowned English make.There is always a secret battle between both brands since they create similar clothes and target the same

audience; the rich upper class university students.I have advertised their indie rock music scene by listing the variety of artists in a strip line situated at the bottom

of the front page.

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Creating the look for Georgiana WildsThe main image of the upcoming music artist Georgiana Wilds helps advertise

the Preppy image which will target the upper class.By dressing the girl authentically with curly hair, dramatic make-up and

wearing a tailored dinner jacket creates the upper class image while relating back to the Georgian times where this image was classed as typical. However the modern twist of having this image in the 21st century goes against the conventions of the typical groups advertised on music magazines; for example Goths, Emos, Rockers, Chavs.

I changed the image by increasing the brightness and contrast so the pale skin is more defined and contrasts to the dramatic red lips. This also helps advertise the wealth and superiority; since in the Georgian times if you had pale skin you were classed as higher class because you did not work in the fields and you don’t gain a suntan.

Masthead & Graphic FeaturesThe masthead AM helps attract attention in a variety of ways. The pink, navy

blue and white helps to keep the consistent colour scheme while the swirly Calligraphy creates an authentic old-fashioned wealthy look; the bow tie coloured in navy blue and pink placed over the top highlights the upper class target audience relating to dinner parties with the Aristocracy.

To show I am targeting university students and people above the age of 18. I included an image of a Pimms bottle which is a famous alcoholic drink which is classed as a drink to be used by the higher class of society. This drink is popular at Polo games and is classed as refreshing since it is served with ice and lime.

I have used a range of plugs such as a gun target to create interest and to relate to a popular preppy sport; pigeon shooting and horses with lacrosse and polo sticks to advertise the sporting activities popular with the ladies and gentry.

OTHER ASPECT OF THE MAGAZINE

While the additional articles such as Debutant Ball at Syon Hall, Battle of the Fashion (sporting very expensive 'Preppy' labels) and the range of indie music ( Music Heroes) help target a wider audience of a wider age and can help branch out into different target audiences of lower classes of society.

The article with Prince William & Harry advertised in the contents page is an understated feature which helps gain credibility from the target audience. By interviewing two famous Princes of England on serious issues such as War and Marriage help show that the music magazine can cover politics and world issues which helps gain trust from the reader to show that the magazine does not interview celebrities with any talent or credibility

The IDEOLOGY behind the PREPPY LOOKGeorgiana Wilds is the presenter and communicator of the ideology, lifestyle and the image of the higher class. I

researched into the preppy lifestyle and the ideology of the higher class; by taking analysing deeply the fashion and style of the higher class. By analysing clothing from rich ‘higher class’ brands such as Jack Wills and Abercrombie & Fitch for the adolescent audience who go to university; while also analysing brands such as Ralph Lauren and Lacoste which are sporting brands which present sport clothing in a rich classy manner.

Jack Wills was interesting to study because it is a very well branched make in the UK; the website wwww.jackwills.com gives the clothing for men and women; while also has its own bulletin board, video clips of big events such as Jack Wills Varsity Polo event which gives a huge insight into the lifestyle of the higher class. The video shows the setup of the event with a London Style Bus for a bar which serves only the ‘higher class drink’ Pimms; while also showing the popularity of the brand as people flock to the clothing tents.

The Polo event is advertising the popularity of the brand while also advertising the lifestyle built round music, sport and fashion.

Jack Wills has its own group who specialise in winter sports and are known as the ‘Seasonaires’. The group ski round Europe advertising the brand; which the site gives podcasts, and video updates of the trip.

The brand also tour England round the top universities advertising the brand to the students.Jack Wills has its own lifestyle and for a fashion brand; is widely known due to the range of marketing facilities it

uses; while the employees spend most of the time advertising the clothes.JW has its own signing record company to sign upcoming music; specialising in indie rock groups; which as its own

additional website, distributing electronic media such as live footage and video clips of the bands signed to Jack Wills exclusively. By analysing Jack Wills and incorporating some of the clothing in the photo shoot of Georgiana Wilds (the trademark stripy jacket) helps advertise the Preppy look, and the fashion side of AM magazine.

Also AM magazine presents some of the less known bands signed by Jack Wills Unsigned so the magazine has a link with the famous English brand. By using the recently signed band 'Barefoot Confessor' who created the theme tune to the Jack Wills Spring collection video; which shows the clothes  being modelled by Preppy students and employees of the brand - helps present the ideology of the Preps and higher class. To present the Preppy style of music, which attracts attention to the brand in AM magazine will hopefully attract audiences knowledgeable of the Preppy brands and the music; creating a wider audience.

THE REPRESENTATION OF THE TARGET AUDIENCEThe Target audience & representation of the audienceThe target audience for my magazine is the higher class of society;

who are classed as Preppy (preparatory) university students; so people who are aged 18 above who take interest in the indie rock scene and the higher class of society; such as events and fashion.

I attracted my audience by using conventional authentic fonts to create an old fashioned higher class look, articles which advertise debutant balls, expensive fashion brands and Polo games.

The main feature article of Georgiana Wilds is a representation of the Preppy music scene; by placing her in authentic high class clothes such as a dress and a tailored jacket with a curly Georgian hairstyle helps connote the wealth and superiority of the higher class of the target audience.

By using formal text such as 'you have been cordially invited to' helps the magazine to speak to the higher class target audience to gain their attention and to help change their view that the only informative magazine that exists is what comes out of 'The Guardian' newspaper as an addition.

PUBLISHING AND BRANCHINGCompanies I would join to publish my productA variety of products could publish my magazine, electronically by website or in magazine form.I would like to work with a company who can issue both to help target a wider audience and to gain a wide audience who

can see the magazine for what is in a variety of forms; which will help it gain credibility.I think it would be good to work with IPC because they successfully issue magazines which target a wide audience while

also giving the articles and images depth and meaning behind them; showing what the music scene is really about. NME is a successful music scene for creating an impact on the target audience and showing that they target with a readership profile and the range of images used help create a different impact in each issue.

IPC Media is a big market brand who has a large amount of capital to help publish my magazines effectively while helping me give enough financial support publishing the magazine and has May connections with other Media organisations to help branch AM into internet and mobile media. IPC is a big brand which would benefit AM since the magazine is an ambitious magazine to help prove a point to society. Higher class may support the magazine more if it has a successful prestigious publisher who supports the ideas and criteria behind it. There is allot of rivalry in magazine publishing, however I believe that AM would be a good competitor by offering something that targets more of a specific audience (Higher class) sporting different fashion and interviews a very different range of people which creates a sense of exclusivity. IPC will help sympathises with the ideas and criteria of AM magazine while giving it a boost in the publishing with its huge capital and connections to other types of media.

IPC Media already has successful magazines in the industry such as NME which target the middle class of society who love a range of music and like to splurge their cash (Impulsive buyers).

NME offers a range of music for different tastes and audiences; while the photography used in articles and interviews convey allot of meaning.

'Every week it gives its readers the most exciting, most authoritative coverage of the very best in contemporary music, including award winning features, the latest releases, live reviews, the definitive guide to the best new bands in its Radar section, as well as a regular look back through the magazine's incredible 58 year heritage.'

'Look Women’s fashion magazine is a regular buy from a regular middle class woman who enjoys viewing a range of fashion for a range of prices giving a wide choice of high street  brands to browse. Also Look interviews a range of celebrities to give gossip and intimate interviews with the celebs of interest.

Look is the fast-paced, glamorous, glossy high street fashion and celebrity weekly for young women. It has a unique mix of up-to the-minute affordable fashion, high street shopping advice, celebrity style and news, coupled with thought provoking real life. Look is the accessible, must-have glossy weekly high street fashion bible'

DIGITAL MEDIA & CAMERASUse of Photoshop and Digital CamerasI have learnt allot by developing and creating AM magazine, the use of Photoshop helped to create a professional

image for the magazine however it took a while to get to grips with using it to create the overall product I desired. For example; text flow around images for the double page spread was partially tricky.

The use of digital photography, internet blogging and the use of online media such as YouTube and Scribd which are publishing sites of media I found easier to use and easier to analyse the range in music genres. By using these media products; I could easily embed html codes from Scribd to present powerpoint presentations in my blog. By analysing music genres in this way helped me understand; music conventions of images, texts and layout to help me make AM magazine a product that looked professional and targeted the audience I wanted.

If I used AM magazine as a published professional product I would branch it out into electronic media such as Face book, its own website and an IPod application to give the audience updates with the magazine issues and the lifestyle of the Preps and the Aristocracy.

I would outsource the market for online workers to help develop ideas for the website of AM magazine and add video media to the sites so the audience has a variety of pathways to access AM magazine content.

I would intend to use Video marketing to post live music of upcoming bands, and intimate interviews; so the workers for AM Magazine are presented in a personal manner to the audience; giving them a insight to what happen behind the scenes and the range of music which could potentially make their mark on the music industry. AM Magazine is about the music and the higher class lifestyle. To help AM to pursue into video marketing I would join up with trafficgeyser; a social networking site which distributes your personal video media to get top rankings on YouTube and other video search engine sites. I would join up with this company to make sure that AM magazine is not just a few pieces of paper published but an actual network of people; which could target a wider audience and become more knowledgeable in the magazine industry. The High class of society have a strong sense of opinion; so I would like to join up with only wire which syndicates content of the magazine so the audience can comment on bulletin boards about video footage that has been released by AM magazine; so the audience has a right to express their opinions of music. I would create a 'bot' which adds YouTube friends automatically and sends out messages to the target audience. Using this software will help the magazine become noticed and knowledgeable while also, creating a personal connection between the AM magazine editors and the audience

CONCLUSION OF MAGAZINEConclusionFrom designing the College Magazine

'Prior Press' and creating 'AM' music magazine I have realised that my skills of using Photoshop have developed and I have created a more professional finishing product with improved digital photography with special effects and the use of a range of fonts and graphic features to help the magazine look professional and to target the audience effectively and simply.